At Facebook, he reports to Charlene Chian, the former Microsoft executive who joined Facebook one year ago to lead Asia-Pacific communications in Singapore. Chian confirmed Dalton's appointment.

Dalton's arrival at Facebook India comes shortly after the social networking giant shifted its PR agency brief in the country to 20:20 MSL from Text 100. The company also retains APCO India for public affairs support.

Facebook has singled out India as one of its key growth markets in 2012. It now has 71m monthly active users in the country, increasing by 54 percent in the final quarter of last year.

It is understood that Dalton's role will focus on public relations and public affairs. Facebook found itself mired in controversy last year when a 21-year-old was arrested over a status update, sparking uproar among free speech advocates.